Great Illustrated Books

Just a Dog

Even kids who don’t love dogs will love this book. Even if they don’t
own a dog, they will want to own this book so that they can read it
again and again, and loan it to their friends and persuade their teacher
to read it aloud in class.

When Corey was three years old, his
family let him choose a puppy from a litter of mixed-breed dogs.
Without hesitation, he picked the puppy that was mostly white. The name
“Mister Mostly” eventually became “Mr. Mosely,” because Corey was too
little to be able to say the letter “t.”

Mr. Mosely learned only
one trick in his whole life. He never won a prize in a dog show. He
didn’t rescue anyone from a burning building. Still, Mr. Mosely was an
absolutely incredible dog. With his amazing love, loyalty and
intuition, he supported every member of his family. He seemed to know
what they needed even when they didn’t know themselves.

Every
afternoon, Mr. Mosely sat in front of the house waiting for Corey to
walk home from school. Corey had hilarious times trying to disguise
himself and trick Mr. Mosely. This game was fun for both of them until
one afternoon when the trick went disastrously wrong.

Corey
narrates the story of Mr. Mosely from his puppy days to how his family
managed to deal with Mr. Mosely’s death. As narrator, he’s completely
honest about the good times and the bad times, about what he did right
and what he did wrong. Each chapter, happy or sad, resonates with
truth. Corey and Mr. Mosely could be the boy and his dog next door.

This
isn’t a book about a perfect family with a perfect dog. Corey’s dad
loses his job. Money troubles and relationship troubles are part of
this story. Mr. Mosely becomes the unifying force that helps the family
cope and keep together, and he will never be “just a dog,” to anyone
who hears his story.

"Dog lovers will lap up this appealing Australian import from its beguiling cover to the last page, at which point they will probably need a tissue or two."Kirkus Reviews

Just a Dog

Even kids who don’t love dogs will love this book. Even if they don’t
own a dog, they will want to own this book so that they can read it
again and again, and loan it to their friends and persuade their teacher
to read it aloud in class.

When Corey was three years old, his
family let him choose a puppy from a litter of mixed-breed dogs.
Without hesitation, he picked the puppy that was mostly white. The name
“Mister Mostly” eventually became “Mr. Mosely,” because Corey was too
little to be able to say the letter “t.”

Mr. Mosely learned only
one trick in his whole life. He never won a prize in a dog show. He
didn’t rescue anyone from a burning building. Still, Mr. Mosely was an
absolutely incredible dog. With his amazing love, loyalty and
intuition, he supported every member of his family. He seemed to know
what they needed even when they didn’t know themselves.

Every
afternoon, Mr. Mosely sat in front of the house waiting for Corey to
walk home from school. Corey had hilarious times trying to disguise
himself and trick Mr. Mosely. This game was fun for both of them until
one afternoon when the trick went disastrously wrong.

Corey
narrates the story of Mr. Mosely from his puppy days to how his family
managed to deal with Mr. Mosely’s death. As narrator, he’s completely
honest about the good times and the bad times, about what he did right
and what he did wrong. Each chapter, happy or sad, resonates with
truth. Corey and Mr. Mosely could be the boy and his dog next door.

This
isn’t a book about a perfect family with a perfect dog. Corey’s dad
loses his job. Money troubles and relationship troubles are part of
this story. Mr. Mosely becomes the unifying force that helps the family
cope and keep together, and he will never be “just a dog,” to anyone
who hears his story.